Broken Bond by C.J. Primer

Chapter 6

6

VANESSA 

I feel him before I see him, watching me from a dark alcove near the front entrance of the bar. Always watching. 

When Callum steps out, he looks like a demon emerging from the shadows. His are teeth bared in a malevolent grin, his sharp jawline illuminated by the neon bar sign hanging in the window beside him. His name leaves my lips in question as my eyes drink in the sight of him; tall, broad–shouldered, and dressed in dark denim, a faded grey t–shirt, and a beat–up black leather jacket. His hair is deliciously disheveled, a stray lock flopping down over his forehead and skimming his browline. 

He‘s the picture of a beautiful nightmare; a bad boy fantasy come to life. My pulse races in nervous excitement as I swivel away from the front door of the Stillwater Tap to take a step in his direction instead. 

“Hi.” My voice comes out in a breathy whisper; so damn husky that I hardly even recognize it. “Hi,” he answers back in that deep, raspy timbre. 

I shiver. 

My heels snick against the pavement underfoot as I continue in his direction.“ What are you doing out here?” Callum holds up a hand, a joint smoldering between his fingers. I smirk, pausing a few feet away from him and folding my arms over my chest.“ Keeping a clear head, I see.” 

“Always.” He tosses the still–burning joint to the ground, grinding it into the pavement underneath the sole of one of his big boots. “It‘s a madhouse in there,” he comments, tipping his head to indicate the building that houses the Stillwater 

Tap. 

“Yeah?” I take another step toward him. “Yeah,” he echoes, closing the remaining distance between us in a single stride. He‘s suddenly so close that we‘re breathing each other‘s air. He smells like juniper and smoke, leather and spice– a heady, masculine combination that my wolf immediately responds to. I feel her stirring in my chest, pushing her way forward in sudden interest. His eyes are hypnotizing. Turquoise, like the Caribbean sea, with little 

shimmering specks of silver. His wolf peeking back at mine. His tongue snakes out to wet his lips, and my gaze immediately drops to them, mapping the dip of his cupid‘s bow, the swell of his plump lower lip. They look so soft. Kissable... His fingertips meet my jawline and my eyes snap back up to his. His touch is electric. My heart pounds faster as he trails his fingers along my jaw, and I‘m thankful the music pulsing from the bar beside us is loud enough to mask it. I suck in a breath through my teeth, my eyes sliding closed as I revel in the sensation of his featherlight touch. “Want to go somewhere quieter?” 

A 

Wait, what the hell did I just ask? 

My eyes fly open in disbelief that those words just left my lips. I don‘t know what‘s gotten into me all of the sudden, but I‘m obviously not thinking clearly. 

Those soft, kissable lips twitch up into a sinful smirk and his hand slides down to cup my chin, pulling my face closer. His eyes are so close to my own that they cross a little in an effort to focus. “You got a car?” 1 

My head bobs as I nod wordlessly. “Alright. C‘mon.” Callum releases my chin and slings an arm around my shoulders, tucking me into his side and starting toward the parking lot. His body is so warm in contrast to the bitter winter chill that I find myself leaning into him, seeking that warmth. Seeking him. 

Holy hell, what am I doing?! My heart thunders against my ribs as we walk toward the back of the lot, my mind racing. 

Don‘t overthink it. 

said than

if he took that as an invitation to

one‘s yours?” Cal asks, lifting his chin toward the

open my clutch and fumble around inside for my keys, clicking the unlock button on the key fob once I find them. The tail lights

my place behind the wheel. He slides in beside me as I‘m fastening my seatbelt. “Where

noise a welcome reprieve from the errant thoughts pinging around in my brain. I tamp down my

ask, a feeble attempt to make casual conversation.”

“Crowded,” Cal grumbles. 

momentarily mesmerized by the way the shadows dance across the sharp lines of his

you see Vee?” He grunts in affirmation. “She showed up with some other

date. He chuckles softly. “Chase just about lost his shit.” “I knew he had a thing for her!” I exclaim, slapping a hand against the

huh? Except maybe himself.” He swipes a hand over

Vee both,”

of the drive chatting about our friends and the party at the Stillwater Tap, almost forgetting about our destination. The lighthearted banter puts me at ease until Cal points out the turn for Norbury, and once I take it and he starts giving

this left,” Callum instructs, pointing out the windshield

to lock up as I turn the wheel, my frantic thoughts rushing to my lips like word vomit. “If you think this is a hookup, you‘ve got me all wrong,” I blurt, my hair whipping me in the face as I snap my head toward him. “If you‘re bringing me back

wrong, too.” Huh? 

as he leans forward, pointing to the wide shoulder of the road. “Pull off here.”

nothing but trees all around us. Is this some kind of sick joke? His hand squeezes my thigh, sending a swarm of tingles racing through my body. “You got anything other than those heels? Might be hard to walk through the snow in them.” “Uh, yeah,” I breathe, unclipping my seatbelt and opening my door. We both get out and Callum meets me at the trunk as I‘m popping it open to retrieve a pair of snow boots. When my mom urged me to keep a pair

jacket?” Callum inquires, and I respond with a shake of my head. Without missing a beat, he shrugs his

of night. And now he‘s bundling me up like we‘re going for a hike or something, separating me from my vehicle so I have no way out of here. When exactly should I start

warm when I slide my arms into the sleeves, and damn, it smells like him. Like juniper and smoke and man. I barely contain a satisfied groan as I wrap myself up in it,

crazy enough to do

now, I

I can‘t quite put my finger on it. At least, not until we reach a break in the trees and I see a clearing where a bunch of old chairs are

he marches straight for the large bonfire pit encircled in stones. He throws me a smirk over his shoulder.

Maybe. 

shrugs, stepping past the pit to a woodpile, brushing a layer of snow

Callum‘s jacket, breathing in his scent as I watch him start hauling logs into the pit.

and once he‘s got a sizable stack, he reaches for a bottle of lighter fluid, squirting it all over the pile of firewood. My nose wrinkles as the pungent aroma taints the air and I bury my nose further into Cal‘s jacket. I wonder if he wears cologne. No man has the right to smell this good. He lights a match, tossing it into the pit, and the whole stack of wood ignites with a whoosh, the heat

the other night, sinking down onto it and beckoning me with a lift of his chin. It‘s a cocky move, but one I find myself responding to nonetheless. With my arms still wrapped around myself and my hands buried inside the jacket sleeves, I walk toward him, eyeing the bench that I occupied last weekend. He notices,

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